Love in a Viennese Cafe
by Arthurs Merlin
Summary: Inspired by the Eurovision Song Contest. Paige wants to move on from her ex boyfriend and a trip to the ESC final in berlin does jsut the trick but when she has a holiday romance could he really be her one true moment?


Summary: When Paige Wilson and the on off boyfriend finally end things she is whipped away to the Eurovision Song Contest Final in Berlin where she will find her perfect match….

Love in a Viennese Café

Love is complicated. Is there ever a perfect moment when you are supposed to say it? And if you say it wrong, or he doesn't say it back what do you do? And that is where we start. Love is not complicated. Love is for the naturally insane, clearly. For who would want to deal with that sort of rejection? The emotional blockade that just falls down around your ears well I have decided I am most certainly crazy.

'Paige?'

'What?' I blinked

'What do you want?' Adam Crossley said gesturing to the menu board

'White flat macchiato,' I replied without a second glance.

Coffee Evolution was a hidden gem and local haunt of ex-students in Huddersfield selling 'posh' Panini's, which by the clear definition and use of the word posh are clearly a mixture of tuna mayo and Tesco Value mozzarella. There were long lines of benches and tall stools lining the front two bay windows, and copies of The Daily Express littered the work tops. There were the usual mixture of twenty-something year old men with beards and empty mugs of black coffee standing next to their IPad. The coffee shop had a very comfortable downstairs space full with dark brown squishy armchairs and low Ikea stubby coffee tables.

'So, have you thought any more about going with Jenna to Berlin?'

'I'm really not sure,' I admitted comfortably settling on the brown leather armchair 'I've always wanted to go to an ESC final-'

'Then what's stopping you?' Adam asked flinging his Regatta parker on the back of the sofa next to the large bags bulging with Easter chocolate.

If truth be known, you! my mind screamed.

Adam Crossley and I have a complicated thing. We have been on and off in a and out of the same relationship for nearly four years, my friends accept it as do I most of the time that Adam and are I commitment phobic. We have tried a relationship but things didn't work as well as we hoped, and we found when there was less pressure it meant much more fun. But lately it has been less of a phobia and more like an irritable itch.

'Well, for one thing my passport needs renewing,' I protested 'and my German is very rusty,'

'That's easily fixed,' and he rummaged in his Regatta rucksack and pulled out a Berlitz language book and pushed it across the table.

'Adam, can I ask you something?' I said 'where are we?'

'Erm, Coffee Evolution,' he said slowly. I thumbed through the language book, looking for a translation and remembering that I was not holding Men are From Mars.

'No I mean, you and me,'

'Arh,' he said slowly 'well, it's a bit of fun,'

'Three years we've been having fun,' I said rolling my eyes 'can't we just get back together?'

So I am standing in Manchester Airport. I have my passport. And Alexander Rybak's Fairytale blasting through my headphone, I didn't want to have to think, or even feel anymore I just wanted to board the plane and forget everything over the last three weeks. I never thought I would have ever been able to just leave everything behind, pick my bag up and lock the door and go. Adam and I are finished, I am so sick and tired of paying games. He either loves me or he doesn't and

'Jena you have to be waiting for a proposal now!' Arriet Evans urged. She was busy applying her lip gloss. Anni was texting her boyfriend of 12 years for the seventh time in ten minutes.

'We just haven't got round to it,' she urged. Which were very true, Jenna always worked long shifts at Leeds Seacroft hospital. And Mick was a solicitor working for an independent law firm who were based in Beeston and a day would rarely go by when the law firm was not confronted by gang violence and that was just the type of clientele that Mickey Jowett detested.

'You should propose on a leap year,' Arri said as the line moved along.

'And deny Mick an opportunity to embarrass himself, don't think so,' Jenna said grinning

'So girlies,' Arri said settling into her plane seat she pulled out the large map of Berlin where she had marked several key locations. 'We obviously have the meeting with Mr Rybak for Jenna, and-'

'Can we go to the Reichstag?' Paige said peering over the map, only to notice that Arri had highlighted several Russian Bars –no doubt serving Absinth and Bulgarian Vodka. Grabbing the map Paige' gaze roamed the various locations, it was quite clear that Arri was planning to remember very little about the more amorous sites in Berlin.

'We have the ESC Party on the 7th and then,' Jenna said scouring her own list of instrucitons, her itinerary would no doubt combine the best of both, well Paige was hopeful and Arri was convinced she would kop of with an attractive Russian. 'Alex has invited us to the Parlour-'

'For all your innocence and faith in the talented Mr Rybak you do make it sound like we are visiting him for more than just his music Jen' Arri said flicking through Grazia. 'Hey do you think you still stay Bi even if you get married to a bloke?' she added musingly

'Why you considering it,' Paige retorted

'You could always come join the dark side Paige, women might suit you,' Arri said licking her lips.

'I am firmly staying away from any relationship,'

'Hell girl, I aint talking relationships.' Arri said flipping her magazine down 'I'm talking just sex just like you and Adam,'

'Just sex? No thank you,' Paige said firmly flickinging through her IPod 'had that and look what it got me. Nothing,'

'Right, new mission Jen' Arri declared 'we get Miss I hate men here a date with a gorgeous German, what do we think?' Arri started scouring the plane for suitors, her eyes fell on several men but each time Paige refused to entertain even the notion.

'Oh my god, Graham Norton just got on the plane!' Arri squealed 'we are so in the EuroZone right now!'

'So, we are going to Berlin!' Jenna said excitedly as the plane took off. Paige plugged her earphone back in and picked her favourite Eurovision tracks from the last three years including the latest album which Arri had given her for her birthday present last week.

The sky was blue and clear and not a hint or even a wisp of a cloud in sight as the plane touched down in Berlin. It was more than just a beautiful day the calmness in the air was almost movie like and the airport was faintly busy with other Eurovision fans and a small media presence was building outside the main terminal.

They were staying just outside Berlin in Wansee, where there was an extensive collection of large lakes and boat houses. The railway took them straight there weaving in and out of berlin's western strip quickly not stopping at any of the little stations in between. When they arrived they were greeted by a tall tanned young man who wore thick rimmed glasses and sported a rather unattractive mole on the side of his cheek. He wore a long waistcoat with a pair of scruffy outdated Vans pumps and his whole appearance somehow didn't quite add up.

'Ah Jenna, you have made it here in one piece,' he boomed and grabbed Jenna in a giant bear hug. 'Stephany was worried about you,'

'I'm glad to be here in one piece, Yan these are my friends. Paige and Arri,'

Arri had already begun to make herself feel comfortable in the lobby entrance and Paige removed her earphones tossing her bag down next to the couch.

'Right girls you are all upstairs but for tonight why we not stay down 'ere and help you self to a drink,' and he indicated to the small bar and grouped vending machines in the corner. Arri was straight there.

'This is going to be AMAZING!' Arri said as she noticed a vending machine which actually allowed you to purchase individual shots of Vodka and mix and match flavours of cola, lemonade and even ice cream. Well, thought Paige, that's Arri's holiday sorted for the next two weeks.

**Berliner Bear**

'Good morning sunshine, how did we sleep?' Jenna asked brightly fiddling with her mobile. She was perched at the breakfast bar a bowl of cornflakes in front of her. 'Do you want anything? Steph is a brilliant cook,'

Paige leaped awkwardly up on the bar stool and perched her 5ft 4 inch frame against the bar. She grabbed the small bar menu and flicking of the choices in her head decided she might take the cornflakes too.

'Great, I didn't think about Adam one second,'

'Really don't believe that,' Jenna said sarcastically 'I heard you talk about him in your sleep, he might not be in your conscious mind but he certainly invaded your subconscious last night'

'So has Mick proposed yet?' Paige retorted, Jenna glared and pursing her lips she returned to her mobile. Jenna's dark brown hair was hanging down in ringlets this morning; her purple framed glasses sitting a top of her head made her look almost normal and not the usual know it all bossy boots she tended to be whenever the girls went on holiday. But without her Paige was also acutely aware she and Arriet would never know how to plan a trip without her.

'So today we are going to find our bearings. I thought we could start of in The Tiergarten first and meander up to the Reichstag.'

'Urgh,' Paige spat out the cornflakes 'they're warm, why are they warm?'

'You should've asked for cold milk,' Jenna said not looking up from her mobile.

It was another hour before Arri finally joined them downstairs, her makeup perfectly pristine and her mini mouse dress almost reached her knees (almost!) and her kitten red heels were ready to go. Paige on the other hand had her Hogwarts jacket and a pair of Purple Heart jeans with her dark looking trainers and pink rucksack. Jenna had dressed accordingly and had on her ESC sweater and was wearing a plaid pencil skirt in deepest green with black heels.

'Right so girls we are on our tour. But obviously we will try and see everything but just remember we have our meeting with Alexander tomorrow night. Very important.' Jenna said folding the map away and into her Owl handbag.

Arriet refused to eat breakfast encase it smeared her lipstick so they boarded the early train straight into Berlin where at the main station they were confronted with photographers, media and press people. It was a tight squeeze getting out the station. All the flashing bulbs were making Paige rather irritated and warm and was relieved to get out into the Haupt Stadt. Taking in the air of the industrial streets of Berlin Paige took a moment to just take it all in. everywhere she looked German history leapt out at her, the buildings all telling their own story. The two rows of bricks running through the road to mark the location of where the mighty Berlin wall once stood. Paige heaved her rucksack onto two shoulders sweeping her dark red hair away from her face and snapping out of her trance.


End file.
